Mixed fortunes for Irish boxers 

Irish flyweight Conor Ahern and middleweight Darren Sutherland both won their preliminary round bouts at the final AIBA Olympic qualifier for European boxers in Athens, Greece today.

Donegal's Willie McLoughlin bowed out of the tournament however after he was edged out 13-11 by Velibor Vidic of Bosnia following a see-saw welterweight clash at the Olympic Centre of Nikaia.

Ahern led all the way to a 14-8 win over Salomo N'Tune.

The Baldoyle Dublin club-man sustained a cut over his left eye against the Swede however and is facing an anxious wait to see if he will be fit for Wednesdays quarter final versus Batomunko Vankeyeu from Belarus.

Speaking from Athens, High Performance director Gary Keegan said they are hopeful that the 24-year-old Dubliner will pass a medical for his last eight clash.

Earlier today, Sutherland, from the St Saviours club in Dublin, dominated all four rounds en route to a claiming a 5-0 preliminary round win over Niko Jokinen of Finland.

Sutherland, Irish captain Ken Egan, David Oliver Joyce, John Joe Joyce, Ross Hickey, Tom Sheahan and Cathal McMonagle will all be in involved in last 16 bouts tomorrow.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association have a nine man squad in Athens for the tournament which is very much last chance saloon for Europeans hoping to qualify for the Olympics.

Irish boxers reaching the finals of their respective weight divisions will qualify automatically for the 2008 Olympics Games.

If Sutherland reaches his semi-final and loses then he will go into a box-off with the other beaten semi finalist in the 75Kg category for an Olympic place.

However, the rest of the Irish squad must reach their respective finals to book their tickets for Beijing.

Ireland's Paddy Barnes (light flyweight) and John Joe Nevin (bantamweight) have already qualified for the Olympics.

Twenty five Olympic places will be distributed in Athens.

Olympic Qualifiers Results (Preliminary bouts) Athens Greece, April 7:

51Kg: (Flyweight) Conor Ahern (Ireland) beat Salomo N'Tune (Sweden) 14-8
69Kg (Welterweight) Willie McLoughlin (Ireland) lost to Velibor Vidic (Bosnia) 11-13
75Kg: (Middleweight) Darren Sutherland (Ireland) beat Niko Jokinen (Finland) 5-0

April 8 Draw (Last Sixteen):

57Kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) v Theodoros Papazov (Greece)
60Kg: Ross Hickey (Ireland) v Romal Amanov (Azerbaijan)
64Kg: John Joe Joyce (Ireland) v Zdenek Chladek (Czech Republic)
75Kg: Darren Sutherland (Ireland) v Eneste Glodi (Norway)
81Kg: Ken Egan (Ireland) v Allessandro Sinacore (Italy)
91Kg;Tom Sheahan (Ireland) v Tsolak Ananikyan (Armenia)
91+Kg: Cathal McMonagle (Ireland) v Yosef Abed Elghani (Israel)

April 9 Quarter-Final Draw:

51Kg: Conor Ahern (Ireland) v Batomunko Vankeyeu (Belarus)

Irish Squad for AIBA Olympic Qualifiers Athens April 7/12:

51Kg (Flyweight) Conor Ahern (Baldoyle)
57Kg (Featherweight) David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's Athy)
60Kg (Lightweight) Ross Hickey (Grangecon)
64Kg (Light welterweight) John Joe Joyce (St Michael's Athy)
69Kg (Welterweight) Willie McLoughlin (Illies GG)
75Kg (Middleweight) Darren Sutherland (St Saviours OBA)
81Kg (Light heavyweight) Ken Egan (Neilstown)
91Kg (Heavyweight) Tom Sheahan (St Michael's Athy)
91+Kg (Super heavyweight) Cathal McMonagle (Holy Trinity)